He's still partially correct.
The offline mode in Steam has frequently been unreliable. It's a lot better now than it used to be, but there are still problems if you stay offline for a long time. Steam still tries to update the Steam client, even if you're offline, and that can lock you out if it decides it Really Must and you have no connection.
And there's also a long tradition of games not honouring the "No Update" flag. Again, it's improved, but it's recent enough for people to remember it.
(And in these forums, there are plenty of people, including me, who remember when TW2 had a mandatory Online requirement on Steam for several months because of a conflict between a CDPR-induced launcher bug and the way Steam worked)